kirby



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. A. KIRBY & A. McKAIN.

TENSION DEVICE.

No. 450,837. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

Wz'ineda e5 fnveniozs:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. A. KIRBY 82; A. MGKAIN. TENSION DEVICE.

Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

Int/6727025:

NiTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM A. KIRBY AND ALLEN MCKAIN, OF AUBURN, NE\V YORK; SAID MOKAINASSIGNOR TO SAID KIRBY.

TENSION DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,837, dated April21, 1891.

Application filed February 17, 1890- Serial No. 340,733. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. KIRBY and ALLEN MOKAIN, both citizens ofthe Unlted States, and residents of Auburn, county of Cayuga, and Stateof New York, have lnvented a new and useful Improvement in TensionDevices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification. Our invention relates to means for regulating the tensionupon and facilitating the unwinding of cord from balls or rolls, theobject being to effect an easy and free delivery of the cord undersubstantially uniform tension from the outer surface of balls, rolls,&c., as they come from the factory, and thus to obviate the necessityfor and the expense of rewinding the cord into balls, from which it istaken from the inner side in the ordinary manner of using it. It will bebest understood from the following description and claims, referencebeing had to the drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents our improvedtension device in side elevation with the ball or bobbin applied. Fig. 2represents a vertical section through the ball or roll, spool, andflierguide arm. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a ballor roll of cord and the tubular spindle or spool partly insertedtherein; and Fig. 4 is a side View of the removable point, by the aid ofwhich the tubular spindle is inserted in the ball or roll.

A indicates a bracket or suitable support for the ball and its spool andthe tension device; B, a portion of a frame to which said bracket issecured, and Z) Z) bolts for uniting said bracket to said frame. Theouter end of the bracket terminates in a hub or boss a, having a centralscrew-threaded perforation, in which is secured a pin or rod 0,screwt-hreaded at one end to engage said hub, and also at its oppositeor outer end, for a purpose which will appear. The outer end of the hubor boss at is cylindrical in form, and is redu d in diameter to form ashoulder at a, and outside thereof a stud-shaft a on which the ball isjournaled. throughits inserted centr l E'ElQOVG or spool.

D indicates the ball or roll of cord, wound and shouldered plug or pointF, the shank f of which is inserted in the unflanged end 6 of the sleeveE, and which facilitates its insertion in the ball through the centralperforation in a manner indicated at Fig. 3. After the sleeve E has beenthus passed into the ball or roll the plug or point F is removed, and inlieu thereof a short sleeve or part E of a divided spool is inserted, asshown in Fig. 2, said sleeve being provided on its outer end with anannular flange o the sleeve E being made of sufficiently reduceddiameter as compared with sleeve E to fit within and snugly fill the endof the latter, as shown.

G indicates a disk having a central perforation matching and fittingover the studshaft c said disk resting on the shoulder a. Theball D withthe spoolapplied, as described, is then placed on the spindle O,and thelower flanged end of the part E fits and is adapted to turn on thestud-shaft 0.

G is the cap plate or disk, having a central perforation, in which issecured a short sleeve g, of less diameter than the sleeve E, and whichpasses through the disk G, fitting within the said sleeve and alsofitting over the spindle C, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer end of thissleeve is provided with an annular flange g, through which it is securedto the disk G by screws 9 as shown, or in other suitable manner.

II indicates the flier-guide arm, the inner end of which is providedwith a short sleeve 11, fitting over and adapted to turn freely on therod or spindle G. The sleeve 11 is shown provided on its ends withperipheral ribs,the outer one 7b forming a seat for a spiral spring I,surrounding the rod or spindle 0 outside of or above the sleeve II, andheld in place, pressing against the end of said sleeve with any requiredforce, by means of a nut i and jam-nut t. The arm H is provided with aninwardly-projecting lip h, which rests in frictional contact with thedisk G nearthe outer edge or periphery of the latter, as shown, andextending beyond the periphery of the disk G the arm H is provided withan inwardlyprojecting boss or short sleeve or eye h ,within which issecured a rod or wire J, and outside of said sleeve h the arm H has acordguide eye 7L3 formed in it, through which the cord. passes from theball or roll in use. The rod or wire J referred to has one end securedin the sleeve 71 and extends along by the side of the roll or ball Dsubstantially parallel therewith to its opposite end, where it is bentsubstantially at a right angle, its bent end J extending under or on theinner side of the disk G in sufficiently close proximity thereto toprevent the cord when left slack from any cause from dropping off theball and becoming entangled or caught upon some part of the machine uponwhich the cord is being used. Said end is, however, left free, for apurpose which will appear. The rod J is bent at or near the center ofthe length of the ball or roll to form a guide loop or eye j, throughwhich the cord passes from the outer face of the ball or roll.

To a frame-bar, (indicated at B-,) or, if preferred, it may be to astandard, (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) attached in anysuitable manner to the bracket A, is secured an arm or bracket K, theouter end of which overhangs the outer or upper end of the rod orspindle O, and is provided in line with said rod extended, or nearly so,with a guide-eye at it, through which the cord passes in use. The disk Gis shown recessed on its inner face to receive the annular flange 6 setin substantially flush with said face, and the disk G may be similarlyrecessed to receive the flange e, or the latter may rest directly on theinner face of the disk G, as shown.

With the parts construct-ed and put together, as described, the outerend of the cord of the ball or roll is released and passed through theeye j of the rod J, thence through the eye It in the outer end of theflier-guide H, and out or up into line with the rod or spindle C andthrough the eye to the desired point for use. The lip h rests with aslight frictional resistance, regulated by the adj ustment of the nuts2' and i'on the disk G,tending to prevent relative rotation of the armand disk until the end of the cord (indicated at D) is drawn upon foruse, when the tension upon the cord passing through the eyes j and ittends to lift or move the arm H outward away from the disk G, therebyleaving the arm free to swing around the rod or spindle O, and so tounwind the cord from the outer surface of the ball or roll until thetension on the cord is removed, when the arm H instantly drops on thedisk G and further unwinding of the cord is checked. The weight of theball when full will ordinarily be sufficient to hold it stationary,:while the arm or flier-guide swings freely around, unwrapping the cordfrom the ball or roll; but when the size of the ball is materiallyreduced, as indicated in Fig. 2, or when the diameter of the ball isreduced to the size of the heads of the spool, the ball may rotate onits spindle instead of said arm for unwinding the cord, when the arm israised by tension on the cord, or both may rotate, one in one directionand the other in an opposite direction, governed by the frictionalresistance offered by them, respectively, to such movement.

By the construction and arrangement of parts described we are enabled touse balls or rolls of cord, with the mandrel upon which they are woundremoved, just as they come from the factory, using the cord from theouter side inward until all is used without Waste, and thereby toobviate the necessity for and expense of rewinding the cord from therolls or spools into balls, from which it is ordinarily used from theinner side outward, and in which, from the liability of the outer shellto collapse, there is frequently considerable loss of cord, aside fromthe loss of time and annoyance consequent on the entanglement of thecord. By leaving the end J of the flier-guide rod J free or unsupported,as described, the flier-guide is left free to rise on the spindle Cunder the tension on the cord and so to relieve itself from friction onthe disk G.

The removable divided spool is designed to fit and snugly fill theperforation or central opening through the ball or roll and so to replace the mandrel upon which the cord was wound, and by the constructiondescribed is adapted to be readily inserted for use, so that as soon asone ball or roll is exhausted it may be quickly applied to another, andthe cord can be as readily unwound therefrom as from the originalmandrel, modified only by the adjustable resistance of the springapplied to its supporting-spindle, and the frictional resistance of theflier-guide to relative movement of said arm and the ballot roll.

Ve have shown the sleeve g secured to the spindle (J by being screwedthereon; but it may be fastened thereto to be held stationary by aset-screw or in any convenient manner.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A two-part separable spool, each part of which is formed with a head,in combination with a pointed plug adapted to be applied to one part ofsaid spool for permitting the latter to be inserted in the ball,substantially as specified.

2. The combination, in a tension device, of the divided spool adapted tobe inserted in the ball of cord, the bracket having a studshaft on whichsaid spool is journaled, the stationary rod or spindle secured to saidbracket, and an outer disk provided with a central sleeve fitting withinthe spool and around the spindle and stationary on said spindle,substantially as described.

3. The stationary spindle on which the dle and provided with theguide-eye on its swinging end, the pendent rod carried by saidflier-guide and having also a cord-guide eye and the inwardly-projectinglower extremity J a fixed cord-guide in line with the stationaryspindle, the spring on said spindle, and the nut also on said spindlefor adjusting the tension of the spring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 13th day ofFebruary, A. D. 25

\VILLIAM A. KIRBY. ALLEN MOKAIN.

Witnesses GEORGE B. PARKS, WALTER H. BEcK.

